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Mari Jasmine calls out "irrelevant" info on news headlines about her coming out

Mari Jasmine on being called Sam Milby's ex-girlfriend in news headlines: "I am a woman with my own story and identity who doesn't need to be defined by past relationships."

Mari Jasmine took offense at online news sites linking her to ex-boyfriend Sam Milby in headlines about her coming out as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) community.

In her post on Instagram last July 4, Mari revealed her relationship with Samantha Lee, who is the director of the indie film Baka Bukas, starring Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Louise delos Reyes.

Mari also mentioned that her closest friends in the Philippines know about her sexual orientation, and have never made her feel any different since she came to the country as a model/host/blogger more than five years ago.

An Australian citizen, Mari is of half-English, half-Japanese descent.

Mari also retweeted the netizens' comments which pointed out that using her ex-boyfriend's famous name diminishes the impact of her strong message.

Agreed. Anchoring the headline with a "known" name to captivate an audience seems good until the article misses the mark to empower a woman with an equally interesting story to tell. Writers, here's a challenge to do better. https://t.co/k9rQsToJmR